AsMetaverseEvolves, LinesBetweenTraditional AndDigitalArt WillBlur

Just two years ago when nonfungible tokens,or NFTs,exploded into the mainstream with an eye-popping US$69 million sale of a single digital work,the art world was simultaneously stunned at the possibilities and thrilled about new opportunities for both artists and collectors While changes brought by NFTs were momentous? Sotheby?s auction house built an NFTdivision with a team of digital experts? the rise of NFTs so far has simply been a sowing-of-the-seeds for what?s next: art in the metaverse

Artists,tech companies,dealers,and collectors see the metaverse as the next frontier It?s where artists can display their work regardless of level of fame,collectors can conduct worldwide business virtually with ease,and enthusiasts can simply enjoy the accessibility of cutting-edge digital art But it?s also a place where artists can redefine and expand notions of how we relate and live with art

So far,however,the metaverse is a concept whose potential hasn? t yet been fully reached Currently,users can? t move freely between digital worlds,such as Decentraland,Genesis World,the Sandbox,and Roblox

But the integration of digital art into the individual virtual worlds has already begun in mind-bending,tradition-busting ways in which artists shape the experiential quality of this new frontier Facebook parent Meta Platforms ad for the metaverse is a good place to start to understand how art can break down traditional boundaries in virtual worlds In the ad,several real-world kids walk up to Henri Rousseau?s 1908 work,Fight

Between a Tiger and a Buffalo,which hangs at the Cleveland Museum of Art Gradually,the animals in the painting become animated and the world depicted in the painting emerges and surrounds the kids in a way that feels psychedelic

It?s likely that the lines between the traditional and digital art worlds will blur as the metaverse evolves ?Hopefully,all artwork will have digital twins This will help track provenance and help artists receive royalties on secondary market sales as that can be encrypted into cryptocurrency smart contracts,?says Michael Bouhanna,Sotheby?s head of digital art and NFTs Bouhanna touches on immensely important advantages of high tech: First,it removes the possibility of fraud and counterfeiting NFTs,which are essentially digital tokens representing a digital asset of any kind,are the mechanisms for selling digital art They are stamps of authenticity stored in perpetuity on the blockchain,a transparent digital ledger

Second,the business side for artists is simplified and improved NFTs are primarily traded using the cryptocurrency platform Ethereum,which enables sophisticated so-called smart contracts, digital contracts between two parties that eliminate a middleman and are stored on the blockchain They can be effective for ensuring artists get paid for the use of their works This will be more important as the digital worlds enable entire ecosystems to build around single works of digital art

They may be displayed in a digital gallery,but also be background in a music video or become animated in a videogame In 2022,figurines created by American artist Brian Connelly, known professionally as Kaws,were displayed at London?s Serpentine Galleries in tandem with an animated figurine in Epic Games?Fortnite videogame

The versatility and visibility of digital art is likely to expand as the metaverse evolves? and in the meantime,art enthusiasts are evolving along with it,with the help of galleries and auction houses ?We?re excited to continue exploring new technology and ways artists are using them to express themselves,?Bouhanna says ?Meanwhile,we educate existing clients and on board new clients into the landscape of digital art ?